Chapter 67
Though it was shocking news, Rubel’s expression didn’t change. As he remained silent, Lord Vale explained the incident in more detail. One of their subordinates had discovered the body while heading to the city morgue and reported it, only to find Hecate’s body missing.
“A witch’s doing?”
“No. There were no traces of magic at the scene.”
“Check for signs of shadow manipulation first. Find out if it’s the work of a witch.”
“Are you sure it’s a witch?”
“Who else would want Hecate’s body?”
Rubel stood up. At the same time, he locked eyes with a small figure hidden behind Lord Vale.
It was Eir, holding a tray. She stared at him in shock, muttering in disbelief.
“Grandma’s body is here?”
Vale didn’t know the details, but he was certain that the relationship between Eir and Rubel was unusual.
He glanced at his commander, and at Rubel’s signal to leave, he headed downstairs first. Rubel also tried to follow, ignoring Eir.
But Eir grabbed him first.
A loud clatter echoed through the hallway. The hot herbal concoction she had been carrying spilled onto her feet, but she didn’t even flinch, her gaze fixed on Rubel.
It was Rubel who noticed first, biting the inside of his lip. He was starting to suspect that her self-destructive actions to get his attention might be part of some calculated plan.
So, this time, he resolved not to acknowledge it.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”
“Why is Grandma’s body here?”
Rubel coldly shook off her hand and took a step back.
“Did you think we’d just leave a witch’s body within the Divine Empire’s borders?”
Shock, surprise, and disappointment gradually ignited into pale flames of anger on her face. Rubel watched every change in her expression. Truly, it was rare to see someone so transparent.
Eir suppressed her anger and spoke.
“Grandma was a good witch. She never did anything to harm the Divine Empire.”
“We received information that Hecate was creating dangerous magic to destroy the Divine Empire, which is why I went after her.”
“There must have been some misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding……. Sure, intentions or origins can be misunderstood. But Miss Eir.”
It was the first time he had addressed her like that—with a distance that made it seem as if they were strangers meeting for the first time.
“That doesn’t change the outcome. Hecate was a witch, and a witch’s body cannot rest on sacred ground. We are at war with witches, and we must learn about them. If we make exceptions, it’s the innocent citizens of the Empire who will suffer.”
Unintentionally, he spoke to her not as a witch, but as a fellow citizen with differing interests. Rubel himself didn’t realize this.
And Eir, blinded by anger, didn’t notice either. She turned away with a look of frustration and brushed past Rubel. Rubel called after her retreating figure.
“You’re wearing my bracelet, so tracking you won’t be difficult.”
He only said it because he figured she’d try to run. But Eir didn’t even look back as she hurried down the stairs, shouting.
“We need to find Grandma’s body!”
As if that were the most important thing to her.
Rubel watched her bright figure disappear, a bitter taste in his mouth, and clenched his fist.
He felt as if he had done something terribly wrong.
***
Despite her determination, there wasn’t much Eir could actually do.
While everyone was using their divine energy to investigate for traces of shadows or magic, Eir’s divine energy was completely useless.
Eir was now no different from an ordinary person. She even found it strange that the thing she had so desperately wanted—to be free of her divine energy—had come to pass in such a way.
In her desperation, she sought out Priestess Verina, clinging to any hope she could find.
After asking around, she finally found Verina, who shook her head skeptically.
“You want to help? But you don’t have any divine energy, so you can’t track shadow magic.”
Verina spoke matter-of-factly, though she seemed genuinely sorry.
Eir looked around at the bustling activity. Holy light flashed here and there. Feeling anxious, Eir blurted out.
“What if it’s a decoy? Shadow magic can be artificially manipulated.”
But Verina tilted her head, not understanding.
“For what purpose?”
“Huh?”
“If it’s a decoy, there must be a goal. What would they gain by using Hecate’s body as bait?”
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